European PV at risk of O&M race to the bottom

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Credit: Solarpraxis Neue Energiewelt.

The intense competition in the European O&M sector is driving down quality putting some solar investments at risk.

The increasingly crowded sector has seen prices fall dramatically. O&M provider greentec services has warned that some investors could find that they are out of pocket in the long-term if they opt for the lowest quote on offer.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“For an owner of a PV plant a small price for O&M seems to be good, but if for example the O&M company did not carry out its duty in preventive maintenance then the costs of failure, idle time and repair can easily be much higher than just the base price for O&M,” said Paul Chaloupka, head of sales and operations, greentec services. “In the end, it is highly important to make the client understand, that saving a few bucks up front, definitely does not make this investment a better deal in the long run.”

Chaloupska points to the need for European engineering, procurement and construction firms moving into O&M as the scope for work from new developments in Europe dwindles.

Greentec recently agreed a partnership with asset management firm AREAM as it looks to build on its grounding in the technical side of O&M.

“Today, it’s definitely a buyers’ market. The big companies are buying small professional local players. We are not in the position to be buying, but we are also not interested in getting purchased, so finding the right partner has been on our list for the last two years. And with AREAM we found precisely the right partner. As experienced and specialized we are in the technical management, AREAM is an expert in commercial management,” said Chaloupka.

“Nowadays investors are definitely more advanced in their knowledge and therefore in their requirements and demands in asset management and O&M. And this is a good thing, especially for us because we want to give our clients a complete and transparent insight and overview of their system as well as our services. We think that this is necessary to build up trust and a fruitful, long-term relationship,” he added.

The partnership manages around 250MW in Europe, primarily in Germany, Spain and Italy.

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

Premium
August 6, 2025
PV Talk: LevelTen’s Andrés Acosta discusses how an oversupply of clean projects is shaping Europe’s PPA market.
August 6, 2025
A subsidiary of JinkoSolar has filed a lawsuit in Munich accusing LONGi Green Energy and several subsidiaries of infringing on a solar cell manufacturing patent.
August 5, 2025
NextEnergy Capital (NEC), through NextPower V ESG, has acquired a 73MW agriPV portfolio in Campania, Italy.
August 5, 2025
Sonnedix and Prosolia have acquired projects, while Iberdrola has signed a 34MW PPA with Burger King covering 109MW total.
August 1, 2025
The Q3 edition of our downstream solar PV journal, PV Tech Power, is now available to download.
Premium
August 1, 2025
Sustained private investment into UK solar is starting to produce results, at least with regard to the role of solar power in its energy mix.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines